Formula 1 2018: General Discussion Thread

https://twitter.com/andrewbensonf1/status/1045931574750056448?s=19

Addyson Gray Glue wrote: »

The thing now is will there be 2 Russian’s on the grid next year?

The 2 Williams seats will command big money, Mercedes are more than capable of outbidding Sirokin’s camp.

Russell & Ocon for 2019?

The door is all but firmly shut on Kubica for 2019 and at this stage for good it seems.

Would be hilarious as Renault had objections to get a Mercedes junior team with Not Force India and end up with a Williams Junior team. What a downfall for a team that once was second in the standings for alltime wins and was the usual contender for the WDC.

vectra wrote: »

Jesus calm down
You got to understand that Leclerc has driven this car all season
Gio has not.
Give the guy some credit.

It's not about giving him credit. If you had said gio did well, I would fully agree. Your post however was in reply to mine where I said Leclerc won't be short on speed next year. You were using a single session to try to prove that Leclerc was a slow driver.

The last time Kimi beat a teammate was grosjean in 2013. That’s a good while ago now.

At least with a rookie teammate he’ll be odds on to be the team leader.

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

Where is this notion coming from?

Has anyone in all seriousness ever accused Kimi of being a good team man? He will raise Saubers profile by driving for them but I’d expect him to clock in on Thursday of race weekend and clock out as soon after the race as possible.

He’s not exactly likely to pop into the factory during the week to check how things are going and boost morale.

I suppose it’s possible that he’ll have a complete change in personality next year. But I think it far more likely that he’ll do exact what he’s done for the last decade. Which is hit good form for the few races leading up to signing a contract and then hibernate for most of the rest of the season.

He’s grand. But he’s not even very good any more

You could be very well right
and that is why teams continue to sign him.
He is useless :pac::pac:

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

The last time Kimi beat a teammate was grosjean in 2013. That’s a good while ago now.

Jaysus thats shocking. Its not like his teammate has been the teams #1 driver competing for the actual drivers championship or anything.

Double post

vectra wrote: »

How would you rate his ability on the technical side of things?
Are you forgetting that he is still higlhy rated for his precise feedback on what needs to be done to bring a car forward?
Are you limiting his ability that he is being downgraded to a midfield team to match his ability?

Have you considered that maybe just MAYBE Ferrari need a B team and no better man than Kimi to bring that team forward ?

To address your questions in order:
1.I have no way to rate his ability on the technical side of things. He has lots of experience because he’s long past his prime so that must help. How do you rate his ability on the technical side of things?

I have no evidence about his feedback. Is that a big talking point about Kimi?

2. I’m accurately describing the fact that he’s been dropped from a top team because he’s not a top driver any more and, saved from dropping out of F1 by a mid table team who could use an old driver with a big fanbase to boost its profile. How would you describe Kimi’a team change?

3. I have never heard of Kimi being a team man. Is that something you’ve heard him credited with in the past? He doesn’t take part in in-season testing, he doesn’t seem bothered with anything outside the race weekend. Maybe he’s a backroom legend and he keeps it super quiet. Why do you think he’d be a good man for Sauber?

I think he’s a spent force who’s hanging on by virtue of his profile.

Why do you think he’s gone from a top team to a mid table team?

pjohnson wrote: »

Kimi is so slow and past it. Its plain to see once you ignore the fastest ever lap record he set earlier this month. Other than that totally past it.

How did that race work out again? With the fastest car he lost the lead and the race to Hamilton.

Of course he’s past it. How would you describe his overall pace over the last couple of seasons?

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

How did that race work out again? With the fastest car he lost the lead and the race to Hamilton.

Of course he’s past it. How would you describe his overall pace over the last couple of seasons?

Ah now come on, that's the least objective analysis possible. The pit strategy (not his call) completely goosed his ability to race. They stopped him WAY too early, and threw him outta the pits straight behind Bottas.

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

but try to be objective for a minute

Objectively yes, he is past his prime. Further objectively, very very few people in F1 hold onto a career until they're in their 40's. He's doing something right.

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

He did start from the front and finish behind Lewis. He pitted early to maintain track position because he was slower than Hamilton despite having the fastest car.

I must have been watching a different race to you. In the version I watched, they pitted Kimi at a very poor moment, put him on tires that didn't work, put him back out in traffic, and asked him to do too long of a stint on those tires. By the time Lewis overtook him, Kimi's tires were cooked. Mercedes nailed the strategy, and took the win. Kimi had that race in the bag, factors outside of his control took the win away.

He has loads of experience and he went along with the team decision to pit at the wrong time. If the team was confident he could use the faster car to match Hamilton they wouldn’t have pitted him so early.

So going along with the team's strategy was a failing on his part? Yes it was the wrong call, but how was Kimi supposed to know that at that moment? He trusted them, that's their job.

He’s still in the sport because he’s coasting on reputation and profile. I was at the Hungarian GP and Kimi and Max had the most fans by a long way. That’s a big part of what’s keeping him in the sport IMO. He’s grand, not good or useless. Just grand.

He’s surviving on his reputation

Repuation, and the fact that the only people ahead of him in the standings are his #1 driver team mate, and Lewis Hamilton. He's beating Bottas, which is who he's really competing against.

I've no particular dog in this race, I like Kimi, but wouldn't be a die hard fan or anything. You're making out he's doing a bad job. He is exactly where he should be, and where Ferrari want him (right behind Vettel in the standings).

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

Ferrari pitted him early because they were terrified of the undercut. That meant Hamilton could wait until the optimum time to put and still still beat Kimi.

Exactly, the team messed up, not Kimi. Early on in the race, before the pitstops, Lewis overtook Kimi for the lead at the end of the main straight...that didn't stop Kimi retaking the lead from Lewis a few corners later. Kimi was right there in the fight, had the speed, had the skills, had the car to do it.

I’m not saying he’s going a bad job, I’m saying he’s past it and isn’t very good any longer.

I'd agree he's past his best. I'd disagree about him not being very good though, he might not be elite, but he's still a world class driver. More than what can be said some of the youth in the sport.

I keep asking what people think of his overall pace over the season or over the last few seasons. The response is that he got pole in Italy. That’s not a fair reflection of his form, is it?

I'll happily concede that pole was because of the tow from Sebastian. As I said, I've no dog in this race. In fact, Kimi's biggest failings in his hybrid era have been his qualifying performances.

He’s just ahead of Bottas (3 points) he’s not just behind Vettel (67 points). He has about 2/3 of Vettel’s points which is about the same as he’s done for the time he’s been at Ferrari.

By that logic, shouldn't your focus be on Bottas, who despite being a lot younger than Kimi, is 110 points behind Lewis in the same car?

He’s grand. He’s doing ... grand. It’s almost impossible to get a fair analysis of Kimi (similar with Kubica) because some people confuse his speed with how much they like him or how fast they want him to be.

I'm not a die hard fan, I like his no nonsense approach to the media, I think he's a world class driver, not elite, never one of the greats, but world class. I feel even with the drivers I support, I'm quite objective. Anything else is fan-nonsense.

Inviere wrote: »

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

Ferrari pitted him early because they were terrified of the undercut. That meant Hamilton could wait until the optimum time to put and still still beat Kimi.

Exactly, the team messed up, not Kimi. Early on in the race, before the pitstops, Lewis overtook Kimi for the lead at the end of the main straight...that didn't stop Kimi retaking the lead from Lewis a few corners later. Kimi was right there in the fight, had the speed, had the skills, had the car to do it.

I’m not saying he’s going a bad job, I’m saying he’s past it and isn’t very good any longer.

I'd agree he's past his best. I'd disagree about him not being very good though, he might not be elite, but he's still a world class driver. More than what can be said some of the youth in the sport.

I keep asking what people think of his overall pace over the season or over the last few seasons. The response is that he got pole in Italy. That’s not a fair reflection of his form, is it?

I'll happily concede that pole was because of the tow from Sebastian. As I said, I've no dog in this race. In fact, Kimi's biggest failings in his hybrid era have been his qualifying performances.

He’s just ahead of Bottas (3 points) he’s not just behind Vettel (67 points). He has about 2/3 of Vettel’s points which is about the same as he’s done for the time he’s been at Ferrari.

By that logic, shouldn't your focus be on Bottas, who despite being a lot younger than Kimi, is 110 points behind Lewis in the same car?

He’s grand. He’s doing ... grand. It’s almost impossible to get a fair analysis of Kimi (similar with Kubica) because some people confuse his speed with how much they like him or how fast they want him to be.

I'm not a die hard fan, I like his no nonsense approach to the media, I think he's a world class driver, not elite, never one of the greats, but world class. I feel even with the drivers I support, I'm quite objective. Anything else is fan-nonsense.

Bottas is grand too and he’s young enough to continue to improve. I dont think there are many people who claim he’s top class.

He’s past it and not getting any faster. He’s getting slower if anything and now he has signed his contract I expect his performances to follow the trend by falling off a cliff.

I’d say he’ll come out marginally ahead of his rookie teammate next year.

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

This thread is as bad as the McGregor thread at times :pac:

Can't say I agree that it was purely strategy, Lewis was going to stop but was told to do the opposite of Kimi, Ferrari had to pit Kimi to cover the undercut. Reality is Kimi needed to be 3 or 4 seconds up the road but wasn't and that weekend he had the car to do it

He might have had the car to do it, but it wasn't as if it was a backmarker was trying to stay with him, Had been anyone other than Hamilton he may have opened a bigger gap ( Or may not )
But you got to look at reality.